I wrote this posting after attended a meeting about the new euphoria in Indonesia of social security number/ tax-payer number (NPWP; Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak). The meeting was called NPWP for dummies… ahh, very cute ^_-

Different than in other countries, like US, everyone who is a citizen or permanent resident has to own a Social Security number. But here in our country, the socialization of tax system has just begin in last 2008 with their Sunset Policy. I shook my head and sighed, ah.. well and I thought that I could fakkin’ get away with this tax matters!

Back then in New York, I remember how hard did I struggle and managed to make some money under the table but the country has great system which not allow an illegal alien to become someone either with higher job position or bigger money. An illegal alien will always be someone who, let’s say, wouldn’t be running for president. ^_^

I have had bad experiences which I was working as a freelancer producer in an internet TV company for their cinema program, we picked the movies, made joke about them, interviewing the viewer and gave mostly bad or sometimes good ratings for them… not a very bad job except when we had to be outside in the freezing winter! I was became a regular, being comfortable, made some friends at work and laugh ha ha and then the company started asking for my social number. Yayy… and not to mention some interviews that got blown away just for some stupid goddamn number!

And now, I am here in Indonesia, fresh and just starting off again working when I heard about their Tax Policy which only just begun last year. At first, I didn’t want to bother about the policy but after hearing the fiscal tax that will be raised up to 2,5 million (normally 1 million) for those who doesn’t have the tax number / npwp, just to go out of country. That was a very stupid idea but it did work for me and most of my friends who love to go out from this boring country every once in a while. I would not have the problem paying tax if the government was transparent about how they use the tax money for. The infrastructures is not really improving from what I’ve seen, only very little progress from two years back before I left. I’m sure that everybody was very reluctant and most of them weren’t very happy with this new tax policy.

But despite of all hesitation, deep down, I am now embracing my citizenship. For once, I felt owning my country, no longer an alien.  I have an identity and I am free to do anything without fear of getting caught or deported. I can vote and I can work legally. Therefore, I feel obliged in return for my country to pay tax out of my income.

I smiled and often laughed in the tax meeting because most of them were also just the stupid beginner like me and didn’t know about anything. They asked about what if they faked the tax report because their house mortgage loan payment was bigger than their monthly salary and that just made no sense. Someone did not even have their parents name on his birth certificate but report to the tax office that he didn’t make money because he claimed some trust fund from his parents… and other countless problems!  I said good luck to the tax department, trying to socialize this tax policy from many many years ago to uneducated or educated (but still don’t understand) Indonesian citizens in just one year! Even I as a freelance graphic designer with a bachelor degree title whatchamacallit, still has big clouds hung over my head for this damn tax issues.

But as I walked out after the meeting ended, passing through some young professionals which were still talking about npwp, their tax problems and the calculation; I smiled and felt a new positive energy to build a new hope for this country. Yes, even our president is not Obama, and I did not know if the next president will; but still I have a hope for a better Indonesia. With us, the next young generation, more literate, less ignorant and higher education… we all just need a little care around us and we’re all set ^_^. Let’s all go from here…